(1) First Through Third Inventions:
There are Internet sites that accept photographic images photographed by submitters, have a site operator-appointed specific reviewer evaluate a given photographic image and post the image data and a review.
There are also Internet sites that allow a submitter to post an illustration drawn by the submitter on an electronic bulletin board and then post on the electronic bulletin board a review of the illustration by an unspecified third party reviewer who has visited the bulletin board.
However, the client requesting a review may have to wait for some time before the review by the reviewer is posted. In addition, the reviewer cannot handle a great number of review requests at once.
Furthermore, when an unspecified third party is entrusted with a review, the client information necessary to conduct the evaluation needs to be made available to the public, giving rise to a risk of privacy infringement.
(2) Fourth Invention:
Photographic setting data are stored in a camera so as to allow the user to obtain desired image data for various photographic scenes.
However, the camera cannot hold therein an unlimited volume of photographic setting data, and thus, photographic setting data only for typical photographic scenes are stored in memory. In addition, photographic setting data reflecting the specific camera accessories owned by the particular user, the user preferences and the like cannot be stored.
(3) Fifth Invention:
A camera user can have an abnormality having occurred in his camera diagnosed and have the camera repaired at a service center or the like operated by the camera manufacturer. In addition, if the cause of a camera abnormality is in the software, the user may download the latest version of the software through the Internet or the like to solve the problem.
In the former situation, the user needs to go to the service center or the like for the camera abnormality diagnosis. In the latter case, he needs to connect with the Internet to download the software. Furthermore, the user may not notice the camera abnormality and thus may not take ether of the measures described above while he keeps performing photographing operations that do not yield optimal image data.
(4) Sixth Invention:
If a camera user cannot photograph desirable images with the camera he owns, he checks the product specifications in a product catalog or the like and purchases a camera accessory, conforming to the specifications which will allow him to take good photographs.
However, if the user does not have a great deal of knowledge of photography, he will not even have an idea of the type of camera accessory he needs to take better pictures. In addition, even when he knows the type of camera accessory he should obtain, he may not be able to ascertain the specific product that he should look for by checking the product specifications in the product catalog.